Imagine our sheer pleasure that the Sedona Rock and Mineral Club had its 10th annual show while we were visiting Sedona! We’re reasonably certain they didn’t hold the show on purpose for our visit, but we felt honored nevertheless. Held at the Sedona Red Rock High School Cafeteria on Saturday October 17th and Sunday October 18th, the show provided enough parking for all visitors. In addition to free admission, there was something for everyone, speakers, kids' crafts, meteorite and other displays, raffles, mineral identification, sphere making and other demonstrations, rocks, gemstones, minerals, fossils, beads, jewelry.

Our first impressions were the size of the show, the layout, and the tables and carpeting. The 40 vendors displayed their wares inside the cafeteria and outside under the clear sky. The layout was interesting - something we might want to institute if we’re in the new civic center next year. The layout was sort of a patchwork quilt, with square tables and round tables, almost no long lines of rows, and ample light. People were able to zig-zag around from table to table. All of the tables were covered with blue table covers. The entire indoor part of the show was carpeted, which didn’t seem to hamper the sales. Think back-when you ate in the school cafeteria, was it carpeted? Many of the vendors had rented multiple tables. The outdoor part of the show was on cement walks, some with shades. Every vendor and assistant had a name tag displayed, and in back of the name tag was a card with cell phone information of the show chair.

What did the vendors offer? Lots of jewelry! Beads, equipment, fossils, slabs, and polished specimens all abounded. Very few large rough specimens were available. Children enjoyed the free Kids’ Crafts booths, making their own beaded jewelry. One adolescent entertained her instructor with stories and jokes throughout the procedure. Did we say that there was lots of jewelry?

The Speaker sessions were a first this year. We went to a fascinating session on meteorites by Club member Dr. Carleton Moore from Arizona State University. The Club also paid for a paleobotanist, Mr. Walt Wright, to visit from southern California. He showed numerous examples of petrified wood and shared information about discriminating between coniferous and deciduous wood. He had also made a presentation at the club’s October meeting.

The hourly raffle tickets cost $1 per ticket or $5 for 7 tickets. I won the first raffle that I entered. All of the hourly raffle tickets were put back into the bucket for the drawing at the end of the show for the three grand prizes. We’re glad we didn’t win the alligator head! Maybe we just haven’t been notified of the other grand prize yet.

The annual show is their big fund raiser. The club awards $1,000 scholarships to two high school students each year. Apparently the publicity paid off. One vendor described a show for which he had been publicity manager. He sent between 20 and 30 flyers with the contract to each vendor, asking the vendors to distribute flyers at shows they went to. Some did, some didn’t.

The temperature reached a high of 87 degrees both days, and the clear sky was as awesome as our own skies. The difference is the red rocks of Sedona. Sedona is beautiful but very commercial. We prefer our little side of the world better, but when you need to get away, this area is first-rate.

This was clearly a very successful and fun show, and the 150-member Sedona Gem and Mineral Club worked hard to insure its success. See http://www.sedonagemandmineral.org/ for club information and past issues of the newsletter.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I didn't expect a huge crowd to show up for the Rabb Park Moonstone field trip after I emphasized the difficulty of the hike. All together eight of us showed up at the meeting place, including two new members—visitors from Florida who joined the Rolling Stones just for the trip. I think in spite of the altitude we'll see them again when they return next summer. We enjoyed having them along.

As we were on the trail, David showed up to lead us to his "secret" location, and he gave us some tips about where to look and what to look for. I have to admit that I found more moonstone than on any of my previous trips, and this time I was (usually) able to tell the difference between that and the quartz. (A bright blue sheen leaves no doubt when you see it. The word of the day was "adularescense.")

In the end, I think everyone would agree that it was a challenging hike. After supper I was barely able to pull my creaky bones up off the couch. If you thought you might not be able to do this hike, you were probably right. Myself, I brought home a mere palmful of tiny moonstones, but Josh found a remarkable stone that David said could facet down to a respectable 1½ carats. Roger tried to photograph it, but the color is elusive in a photo. David and some of the others also found some good stuff, plus it was an excellent day for a hike in the woods, so all in all I'd say it was a successful day rockhounding.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The biggest complaint we heard at the Gem and Mineral show this year was about its location. It's the same story every year. More room! More and better parking! Better bathrooms! Places to sit down! A more convenient location!

A few of us had a chance to explore the new Grant County Event Center next door to Ace Hardware. This venue definitely has more of everything!

Right now, it is configured with two very large carpeted rooms, plus a few smaller rooms. The kitchen area has a large eating space, plus access to an outdoor area configured with picnic tables.. The bathrooms are huge, and quite nice!

Be sure to let our County Commissioners and staff know that this is important to us. It would be wonderful to be able to use this new venue in 2010!

The Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society in Silver City, New Mexico Welcomes you!

Who are we?

The purpose of the Society is to exchange information & further members knowledge of mineralogy, gem cutting, and geology, and to stimulate interest in the development of these studies.

The purpose of this site is to share information with our members, promote our club to new members, and to provide information about our activities to the public, in particular our annual Gem and Mineral show.

Our meetings

We meet on the 2nd Thursday of the month in Silver City, New Mexico at the Silver City Senior Citizens Center(204 West Victoria at south end of town off of NM 90). A pot luck precedes the meeting at 6:00 pm. The meeting begins at 6:45 pm and is followed by an educational program.

Visitors are welcome.Come have fun‚ meet new people and enjoy learning about our diverse variety of gems and minerals in the area.

Our Field Trips

Our field trips are the third Saturday of the month. For more information about the field trips contact Ansel Walters at 575-388-2010. You must be a member or guest of a member to come along, but you may join the day of the trip. It is required that all persons who come on our field trips must have a signed waiver of liability in our files. Members of the club must witness the waivers signed by their guests.

2012 Show

Have you ever been to the Rolling Stones Annual Gem and Mineral Show?

Well, for anyone who has been in Silver City on Labor Day weekend, the answer is probably yes.

What do you remember most?

The silent auction of incredible specimens, slabs, cabochons, and pretty rocks? Every half hour! Or maybe you remember your kids asking for quarters at the Wheel of Fortune. (You know you liked it as much as they did.) Every spin’s a win, whether it’s colorful tumbled agates or chalcedony roses or something you’ve never seen the likes of!I hope you didn’t miss the Room of Displays. I know it’s kind of hidden (hey, we didn’t lay out the center), but if you followed your nose, you discovered not only the Lions Club “restaurant”, but an incredible petrified wood collection from NMSU (and someone to talk to you about it), a case of rare mineral specimens from NM Tech, and displays from the club members. This year we’ll have the Deming Desert Panners talking about GOLD, and who isn’t interested in that?

Oh, did you forget the vendors?

Well, walking the aisles is like being in a natural history museum, except you can buy the exhibits! There are beads for the beaders, slabs for the cabbers, and jewelry from funky to exquisite. TWO rooms full. Yes TWO. Plan on at least a couple of hours or you WILL regret it.

Did you go on the field trips?

This year the educational (read: fascinating) tours start at 9:00 all three mornings: a caravan for roadside geology, a bus tour of the local mines, and a walk among the old mines above the town.

You must have gone on at least one collecting trip—I think I saw you there—although they’re not for everyone. You have to enjoy being outdoors, and even a little bushwhacking at times. Highlighted this year are Bear Mountain agates and fossils, something you’ve never heard of (vesuvianite), and green, purple, and blue fluorite, all in the same rock. Be there at 1:00 Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Did you forget anything? You know how to get there—it’s out east on Highway 180 (3031, to be exact, next to Ace. Our hours are a little different this year, 9-5 on Saturday, 10-5 on Sunday, and 10-4 on Labor Day. (We WILL chase you out! Sorry!) I’m looking forward to seeing you there!